Administration
The mission of the administrative staff at Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is to provide the best possible environment for outstanding science. Dedicated experts offer their assistance on a wide range of matters and are glad to help at any time. Most of them are located in the voestalpine Building and the Administration Building.
On this site:
Academic Affairs
Academic Affairs (AA) deals with the organization of academic life at ISTA and coordinates the quality control of research at the Institute. It administers the entire recruitment process for Professors and Assistant Professors. Likewise, AA coordinates meetings of the Professorial Committee as well as area and tenure evaluations. The organization of the Graduate School with all its courses, the admission process of students, student affairs and the development of rules and procedures of the PhD program are further important tasks within AA. In addition, AA coordinates the employment process of staff scientists, postdocs and students and supports visiting scientists who stay longer than three weeks at ISTA.
Contact
Barbara Abraham (Head): academic.affairs@ista.ac.at
Campus Services
The main duties of the campus services team at ISTA is to manage the apartments on campus, the guesthouse rooms, the café/pub and act as link to the management company of the cafeteria (SV Österreich GmbH) and the childcare center (Kidspoint GmbH). The administration of the childcare places for the daycare and kindergarten groups at the childcare center “Froschkönig” as well as the coordination of the ISTA shuttle bus, the reception desks, the cleaning of all buildings on campus as well as the administration of the fitness center, sports ground and tennis courts are additional tasks.
Contact
Stefan Hipfinger (Head): ext. 1005 stefan.hipfinger@ista.ac.at
Communications & Events
Communications & Events support the managing team, the scientists, and the administration in any kind of public relations and public affairs, maintaining contacts with and responding to inquiries by organizations of public, representational or political nature, and the media. In addition, the Communications Team produces and distributes publications such as press releases, the annual report, image brochures or folders. It is also in charge of internal communications and digital content management.
The Events Team organizes academic events like the Young Scientist Symposium, ISTA Institute Colloquia, xista Talks, and various workshops and conferences. Additionally, the team sets up many public outreach events including the ISTA Lectures and the Open Campus Day.
Contact
Harald Wilkoszewski (Head): ext. 1217 harald.wilkoszewski@ista.ac.at
Construction & Maintenance
Construction & Maintenance is one of the largest units on campus. Its staff is busy with developing the campus and maintaining its facilities. Engineers, architects, highly experienced electricians, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and sanitary specialists, control and regulation engineers and technicians work hard to ensure a smooth operation of the technical systems of the campus. Construction & Maintenance is responsible for the technical and organizational fire protection of the institute and offers a 24/7 call on duty service for technical emergencies
Furnishing and maintaining flats and guest rooms as well as all offices and ensuring the proper functioning of all services to secure a pleasant working environment is an everyday task. The technical management of the pre-clinical facility is another task of this department. Issuing of keys and access cards, codes and all related administration is the responsibility of the Construction & Maintenance team.
Contact
Stefan Hipfinger (Head): ext. 1005 stefan.hipfinger@ista.ac.at
Development & Partnerships
Development & Partnerships, as part of the Office of the President, is responsible for expanding, organizing, and administrating ISTA’s network of supporters. It works towards creating mutually beneficial relationships with external parties and individuals through donations, and identifies and engages with third-party groups and individuals, who support ISTA’s vision of establishing itself as a world-class research institution based on excellence. One of its core functions is to develop new support concepts to advance ISTA.
Contact
Maria Maager: ext. 1094 maria.maager@ista.ac.at
EHS
Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) provides guidance, support and legal advice for any issue around environmental protection, health and occupational safety: workplace evaluation, handling of hazardous substances, personal protective equipment, maternity protection; waste management, air and water pollution prevention and energy efficiency; ergonomics, vaccinations, stress and many other health prevention programs. Trainings in first aid, firefighting, general safety briefings, accident prevention and analysis tools, safety risk management etc are organized on demand.
Contact
Susanne Wertheimer-Wiegel (Head): ext. 1087 susanne.wertheimer-wiegel@ista.ac.at
Executive Affairs
The unit Executive Affairs (ExA) supports the Managing Director and oversees cross-departmental projects as well as projects directly supervised by the Managing Director. The unit works closely with federal and provincial stakeholders. Executive Affairs fosters close ties with the Ministry of Education, Science and Research, overseeing the preparation of performance agreements, monitoring procedures, and ensuring reporting requirements are met. Executive Affairs harbors the following functions close to the management: Legal Affairs, OPP (Organization, Processes and Project Management), and Internal Audit.
Legal Affairs provides legal advice and assistance to the management, faculty, and other staff on a wide range of matters, including labor and employment, intellectual property, development of ISTA’s policies and procedures, founding of affiliates, collaboration with external entities, contract management, compliance and data protection, as well as ISTA’s contractual and statutory obligations. Legal Affairs also coordinates the services of lawyers, tax advisors, and other external advisors.
The function Organization, Processes and Project Management (OPP) is in charge of implementing and further developing the Internal Control System (ICS), policy management, as well as designing and optimizing important Institute-wide administrative processes. OPP further assists the administration in planning and leading various projects, along with providing project-specific training.
Internal Audit is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve ISTA’s operations. It helps to accomplish its objectives and mission by bringing a systematic and disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes.
Contact
Julia Lintner (Head): ext. 1000 julia.lintner@ista.ac.at
Finance
Finance is a service oriented division and covers the areas of accounting, controlling and procurement (including the central storage). Our goal is to support faculty, scientific service units and administration and to ensure that legal regulations and guidelines are respected, as well as responsible spending of budget, which means the use of funds by the principles of economy, adequacy, cost effectiveness and transparency. The main tasks of the teams include the following activities:
- Financial Accounting is responsible for adequate and properly book keeping, invoice verification, reimbursements, financial transactions, quarterly financial statements and year end closing.
- Controlling is in charge of cost- and performance accounting, tariff calculation for internal cost allocation, budgeting and forecasting, preparation of finance and budget checks, cash management, master data maintenance and monthly cost center & quarterly management reporting.
- Procurement is responsible for supporting purchases of products and services, managing the Centralstorage and handling logistic processes on Campus, procurement in accordance with the Federal Procurement Act, the operation of the ISTA ordering system and offering trainings for new employees.
Contact
Wolfgang Fohringer (Head): ext. 1090 wolfgang.fohringer@ista.ac.at
Grant Office
The Grant Office (GO) at ISTA is responsible for endorsing and authorizing proposals to, and negotiating and accepting contracts and grants for projects funded by the European Commission, federal and state agencies, foundations, and other public and private sources.
Grant Office services include information about funding opportunities, assistance during the preparation of grant applications, and financial grant management including interim and final financial reports.
Contact
Marie Kolmanová (Head): ext. 1038 marie.kolmanova@ista.ac.at
General inquiries: grants@ista.ac.at
Human Resources
The working environment in the field of Science & Research is an international, complex and dynamic one. On behalf of the Management we promote an HR philosophy which enables us to react quickly and flexibly to changes of the legal framework as well as to the requirements of the Scientists. Human Resources provides professional Human Resources Management including service-oriented Counseling and support for Scientists, Scientific Service Units and Administration employees within the following fields of responsibilities:
- Labor law
- Compensation & Benefits
- Payroll & Personnel Administration
- Personnel Development & Training
- Personnel Marketing & Employer Branding
- Recruiting & Onboarding
- Welcome Services
Contact
Anita Just (Head): ext. 1143 anita.just@ista.ac.at
Office of the President
The Office of the President organizes and administrates all non-scientific affairs for the President and Executive Vice President and acts as an interface to the scientific and administrative staff, board and committee members, cooperation partners and other external contact persons, including ISTA’s network of supporters. It oversees and coordinates faculty affairs matters such as appointments, retentions, budgets, leaves, sabbaticals, external activities, and retirements. It strengthens links to similar research institutes and supports the further development of the institute by benchmarking and analysis. It also includes Development & Partnerships and is further responsible for the scheduling, organization, preparation and follow-up of meetings, especially board, committee, and endowment meetings as well as meetings of the management, and prepares minutes, presentations, and reports, in addition to ensuring efficient and smooth office operations.
Contact
Magdalena Kaltenecker (Head): ext. 1033 magdalena.kaltenecker@ista.ac.at
VISTA
VISTA Science Experiences is the science education program of ISTA. It offers science enthusiasts of all ages the opportunity to immerse themselves in contemporary science. Through direct interaction with researchers, the process of doing science becomes tangible, and cutting-edge research becomes accessible. The activities take place in the VISTA Science Experience Lab on campus, online, in schools, and in parks or the Heuriger around the corner. The main goals of VISTA include:
- Teacher Trainings: Supporting educators with teaching materials and professional development.
- Research Exhibitions: Making science and technology more accessible through explorative exhibitions.
- Excellence and Innovation: Inspiring the next generation of scientists, and providing direct contact to world-class research.
- Science for All: Bringing science to the people with the VISTA Science Tuk Tuk and educational programs.
- Science and Democracy: Showing how to distinguish scientific facts from misinformation, and encouraging critical thinking.
Contact
Christian Bertsch (Head): Christian.Bertsch@ista.ac.at
xista
xista is the one stop shop for all matters related to intellectual property (IP) developed at ISTA. If scientists discover something in the lab or have a great idea which is patentable and/or might have serious commercial value, xista assists in patent protection and/or licensing the technology to interested companies or even creating a spin-off company. xista also handles material transfer agreements (MTAs) and supports scientists in collaboration agreements with industry.
“xista innovation” is an initiative by ISTA to support researchers interested in the commercial development and use of their research results. With a range of measures, results are to be translated into product ideas, which the institute intends to commercialize through licensing and the support of start-ups. xista facilitates the exchange with industry, works with founders, and helps students make career decisions.
Contact
Markus Wanko (Head): ext. 1130 Markus.Wanko@ista.ac.at
